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The Pursuit of Safe Dog Food

Manufacturing Safe Dog Food Under Strict Industry Regulations

One of the most common rumors about the dog food industry is that it’s not regulated, or that the standards for making nutritious and safe dog food are extremely lax. But did you know that the standards for safety and quality dog food are equal to, or in some cases, surpass those of the human food industry?

Dog food is a very highly regulated industry. And though regulatory can seem like a dry civics class topic to some, it’s interesting to realize that every rule written stems from a place of passion. The people in charge of writing the rules and defining the standards for safe dog food are pet lovers too, who do everything they can to help keep your dog – and their own dogs – happy and healthy.

Guidelines for Safer and Quality Dog Food

But loving your pet isn’t qualification enough to make safe dog food. A little muscle is needed to ensure high standards in the industry. So what keeps dog food companies in check?

FDA: Dog food is regulated at the federal level by the Food and Drug Administration and enforced by each state’s feed control official. However, it’s up to the manufacturer to submit their products to the FDA. Oftentimes, small companies don’t know the regulations and fail to submit to the FDA. Because they may be too small to be on the FDA’s radar, it’s difficult to verify if their pet food is safe or not.

AAFCO: The Association of American Feed Control Officials provides strict standards for dog food companies to ensure that a product is “complete and balanced” for a particular life stage and species. Complete and balanced means that your dog’s food provides him the right amounts (in the right proportions) of every single nutrient that his body needs: every day, every meal. Can you imagine if humans had the perfect nutrient-packed food too?

THE COMPANY ITSELF: It’s up to the dog food manufacturer to test their own diets to ensure quality dog food. And sometimes it’s not enough to just meet the minimum.

We have the ability to track an individual ingredient from the time it enters the plant until it ends up at retail (or on your doorstep if you’re ordering Just Right by Purina).

Plus, when you read content from us (including this blog post), it’s been overseen by our regulatory specialist, Monique. She helps to make sure that our writers are accurate when translating the science into bite-sized infographics, and that it doesn’t come across as misleading. By building in checks and balances to make sure that everything we say is backed up by what we do, our internal regulatory team is just another way Purina looks out for our dog owners!

More than anything else, the team at Just Right by Purina wants to be a part of helping you and your dog live safer, happier, and healthier lives together. And we believe that personalized nutrition is a great start. Why not create a blend for your dog and see if you agree?

Want more about how industry regulations in the U.S.A. work together to help ensure the production of high-quality dog food brands and, most importantly, safe dog food?